Capitol Correspondence - 01.03.23

Senator Casey Celebrates Passage of Legislation in 117th Congress, Including Bills to Help People with Disabilities

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Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), a relentless champion of ANCOR issues, issued a statement summarizing his legislative victories in the 117th Congress, including the passage of several bills to help people with disabilities. The disability-specific legislation is outlined below:

  • ABLE Age Adjustment Act: The bipartisan ABLE Age Adjustment Act was passed via the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 spending bill. This legislation will provide 6.2 million additional Americans, including more than one million veterans, the opportunity to open an ABLE account and save for the future by extending access to people who acquired their disability between 26 and 46 years of age.
  • Fair Wages for People with Disabilities: Funding was secured for a Department of Education pilot program in the FY 2021 federal spending bill, which directed the Department to award $177 million across 14 states to begin phasing out the practice of paying people with disabilities subminimum wage and encourage the creation of inclusive jobs for people with disabilities.
  • Assistive Technology for People with Disabilities: The 21st Century Assistive Technology Act was included in the FY 2023 National Defense Authorization Act. This legislation will increase funding to state assistive technology programs to ensure support is available to people with disabilities as well as keep pace with advances in technology in order to better serve people with disabilities and older adults. The Assistive Technology Act was originally passed in 1988 and had not been updated since 2004.